Romulus (Earth-616)
, | Relatives = Remus (sister) | Universe = Earth-616 | BaseOfOperations = Formerly Amalfi Coast, Italy; Rome, Italy; Red Room Academy, Moscow, Russia; Weapon X Facility, Roanoke, Alberta, Canada. | Gender = Male | Height = 7'0" | Weight = 300 lbs | Eyes = Black | Hair = White | UnusualFeatures = Eyes with no discernible pupils or irises, pointed ears, claws at the tips of his fingers, mutton-chop sideburns and a hairstyle that is similar to Wolverine's, with the exception that the back is very long and is kept in a ponytail. Half his hair, including his ponytail, is white, with age. | Citizenship = Pre-Civilization | MaritalStatus = Single | Occupation = Manipulator; Puppeteer | Education = Romulus is a genius, a level of which humanity cannot begin to comprehend and has knowledge of certain areas of biology, primarily genetic engineering and mutation, and other unpredictable forms of science. | Origin = Mutate | PlaceOfBirth = | Creators = Daniel Way; Scot Eaton; Jeph Loeb; Simone Bianchi | First = Wolverine: Origins #2 | First2 = (Voice only) (Shadowy figure) (Named) (First appearance) | Last = | Quotation = There's a reason why you've spent your life watching the sheep, Wolverine --and it's not because you're a shepherd. It's because you're a wolf. | Speaker = Romulus | QuoteSource = Wolverine: Origins Vol 1 40 | HistoryText = Origin According to himself, Romulus was born in prehistoric times as one of the Lupine, a tribe of feral humans theorized by the Black Panther to have possibly evolved from canines rather than apes. However Remus admitted to Wolverine that it was just a subterfuge that was, along with the bones found in the elephant graveyard, meant to keep him busy while Romulus harvested Adamantium. Roman Empire Romulus ruled as Emperor during the time of the Roman Empire for many years and often held gladiatorial contests using his Lupines as gladiators. During one contest between the blonde haired and the blacked haired groups where they had to battle tigers, the groups then turned to Romulus for judgement after they had defeated the animals; he responded by giving them a thumbs down, causing one group of gladiators to go ahead and decapitate the other group. Since it was revealed by Remus that the Lupines had never existed, it can be presumed that those events never happened. World War II In the 1940's Japan he cut Daken from his dead mother's womb and raised him as a ruthless killer. Modern Era Nick Fury revealed to Wolverine that Romulus has been manipulating people from his family's bloodline for centuries, and that he planned for Daken to become the next-generation Weapon X. This was achieved through the Tinkerer, who bonded the metal from the Muramasa Blade to Daken's inner claws. Daken hinted he complied with the process because of his own agenda. Post-M-Day In present day, Romulus restored Feral and Thornn's feline look after their depowerment, augmented Wild Child's powers greatly, ordered the bonding of Cyber's skin with Adamantium and replaced Sabretooth with a feral-state clone, was later killed by Wolverine. He appears to have ties with Russian authorities, as seen by his arranging Omega Red's transfer to a regular Russian prison in order to set a trap for Wolverine. After Wolverine temporarily subdued Omega Red, he was captured by Wild Child, who revealed that Romulus had made several villains battle each other, with his agenda being vaguely described as him needing a successor. Wild Child then encountered Omega Red, but Wolverine escaped and a shocked Wild Child was then killed by Omega Red. Moments after Wolverine used the Muramasa Blade to kill Omega Red, Romulus revealed himself in front of Logan, seemingly prepared for battle. Wolverine attacked Romulus but was easily overpowered since he was only using the sword at this point. Romulus slashed and attacked Wolverine from the shadows as he revealed his plans. Telling Wolverine that everything had led up to this moment. Romulus was what Wolverine would become. Pushing Wolverine to the breaking point, he dropped the sword and popped his claws, much to Romulus' amusement. However, Wolverine fought back and gained the upper hand and slashed at Romulus' hand, shattering what turned out to be a clawed gauntlet. Seeing that Romulus' claws were fake, Wolverine taunted him saying, "You're not what I'm gonna become...I'm what you've always wanted to be." Hearing this, Romulus blindly attacked Wolverine with his remaining claws only to be slashed open by Wolverine. Romulus fell to his knees, the deep slashes across his chest and stomach bleeding heavily. Seemingly beaten, Romulus told Wolverine that although he was at the top of the food chain, by making Daken in his own image, he had set the stage for a confrontation between Wolverine and his son. Only the most ruthless would survive. With Romulus at his mercy, Wolverine decided to let him live for the time being, stating he would finish the job on his own terms. As Wolverine walked away, Romulus was able to use his mental abilities to enter Wolverine's mind, creating a vivid illusion of his wife Itsu as a distraction. Romulus called out to him while tossing the Muramasa blade at him. As Wolverine turned, the handle of the sword hit him in the head and rendered him unconscious. Romulus staggered to his feet and dropped the blade across Wolverine's chest, stating that he would need it. Logan has finally caught up with the mysterious and powerful figure known only as Romulus: the man who has been secretly manipulating him his entire life, and who raised Daken to be a ruthless killer. Logan learns that Romulus’s grand scheme is for Logan and Daken to fight to the death, deciding who will take Romulus’s place at the top of the food chain. Now, armed with the Muramasa blade, a weapon capable of nullifying healing powers, and aided by Cloak and Skaar. Logan was determined to destroy Romulus's vast empire. Logan finally defeated the mysterious and powerful figure known only as Romulus by trapping him in the Darkforce dimension. Later, Romulus managed to get out of the Darkforce dimension, only to fight again against Wolverine, and finish with the Weapon X program by lacing his bones with Adamantium, while revealing that the whole idea of taking over Weapon X was Wolverine's in the first place. However, he was later defeated by the latter and imprisoned in the Raft. | Powers = Unique Physiology: Supposedly, Romulus is the first specimen of "Lupus Sapiens", an old species of beings that evolved from wolves instead of apes, though this is debunked in where Remus exposes that both that tall tale and the bones Romulus planted at the elephant graveyard were merely distractions. Romulus possesses various superhuman attributes as noted below. *'Regenerative Healing Factor:' Romulus possesses an accelerated healing factor that enables him to fully regenerate damaged or destroyed bodily tissues and/or cells with far greater speed and efficiency than normal humans. The full limits of Romulus' healing powers aren't known, but the overall speed and efficiency in which he heals appears to be based upon the severity of the injury. Romulus' healing powers also afford him great resistance to drugs and toxins as well as immunity to conventional diseases. **''Foreign Chemical Immunity:'' Romulus natural healing also affords him the immunity to all poisons and most drugs. It is virtually impossible for him to become intoxicated. **''Disease Immunity:'' Due to his highly efficient immune system, Romulus is immune to all Earthly diseases, infections and disorders. **''Superhuman Longevity:'' His healing factor grants him an extended lifespan by slowing the effects of the aging process at a much slower pace than a normal human. While most of his past is unknown, Romulus has supposedly been alive since prehistoric times . Remus confirmed that Romulus is at least several thousand years of age. While he does show signs of aging, such as his hair turning almost completely white where it was once black, Romulus still has the same physical vitality and overall appearance of his physical prime. *'Superhuman Strength:' Romulus possesses some degree of superhuman strength. As with much of his powers, the full limits of his powers aren't known. However, he has demonstrated sufficient strength easily lift Wolverine by the wrist off the ground and hurl him repeatedly across a room with no discernible effort. His physical strength is between 800 lbs and 2 tons. *'Superhuman Speed:' Romulus is able to move at low level superhuman speeds. He has the ability to attack faster than the eye can follow and can even keep up with Wolverine easily. His combat speed seems more enhanced than anything else, as he has frequently kept up with other enemies in combat, and blitzed people before they pull their trigger fingers. *'Superhuman Durability:' Romulus possesses a uniquely dense bone structure. Additionally, his skin and muscle tissues are augmented to levels that are considerably stronger and harder than those of a normal human, and the said tissues are resilient to injury to an extraordinary extent. **'Weather Insulated Adaptation:' Body is highly resistant to certain elemental extremes, particularly cold temperatures without sustaining bodily damage for great periods of time. *'Superhuman Stamina:' His mutant healing factor grants him resilience to lactic acid and other fatigue toxins generated by his muscles granting him superhuman levels of stamina, exceptional endurance, and lung capacity (hold breath for 6 minutes under water); in all physical activities. Romulus can sustain himself at peak capacity for several days. *'Superhuman Agility:' His agility, balance, flexibility, dexterity, and bodily coordination are enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural physical limits of an Olympic gold medalist. He has the combined agility and acrobatic prowess of the most accomplished circus aerialists and acrobats. His agility is sufficient to allow him to dodge multiple bullets. He is even able to jump extremely high and evade several yards. *'Superhuman Reflexes:' His reflexes are enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete due to his superhumanly acute senses. *'Superhumanly Acute Senses:' Romulus possesses superhumanly acute senses that are comparable to those of certain animals. He can see with greater clarity and greater distances than an ordinary human. His vision extends into the ultraviolet and infrared areas of the electromagnetic spectrum, allowing him to see in near-total darkness and retain the same level of clarity. His hearing is similarly enhanced, able to detect sounds that ordinary humans can't and at greater distances. Romulus also possesses an extremely well developed sense of smell. He is able to recognize people and objects by scent, even if they are well hidden. He can track a target by scent, even if the scent has been greatly eroded by time and weather factors, with an extraordinary degree of success. Romulus can also use his keen sense of smell to detect lies due to chemical changes within a person's scent. *'Retractable Claws:' Romulus possesses a single, retractable claw at the tip of each finger. The claws have a razor sharp edge and are capable of cutting material as durable as bone. It is possible that his claws can cut much tougher material as well, but it's unknown at present. Recently he seems to have implanted four extra Adamantium claws into his backhands, which given their indestructible composition, enable them to cut through almost anything. | Abilities = Little is known about Romulus or the full extent of his capabilities. He has been shown, however, to be extremely intelligent with numerous connections to various governments and government programs. It's been said that Romulus was ultimately behind the Weapon X Program though this is contradicted by later revelations. Given his lifespan, and the few instances revealed about his past, Romulus is an exceptional warrior, planner and tactician. | Strength = | Weaknesses = Muramasa Blade: As has been stated and shown against others, Romulus is vulnerable to the Muramasa blade. The blade itself inflicts injuries that greatly nullifies the effects of superhuman healing abilities. If Romulus were to sustain injuries to a vital area of his body, depending upon the exact area, his healing powers would be reduced to a slow crawl and would need to receive immediate and extensive medical treatment in order to keep from dying. Even those with powerful healing factors require several days to fully heal even from minor wounds inflicted by the sword. | Equipment = Gauntlet: During his initial battle with Wolverine, Romulus wears black gloves in which four blades are attached to. Three of the blades are similar in shape and overall appearance to Wolverine's Adamantium claws. A fourth, and smaller one, appears near the thumb area on each of the gloves. These blades have shown to be able to easily slice through flesh. The blades are presumed to be made of Adamantium as well, though this isn't known for certain. They have proven able, however, to withstand numerous strikes from Wolverine's claws without sustaining any damage. Adamantium Laced Skeleton: In his last appearance, he laced his entire skeleton with Adamantium. As a result, his bones are virtually unbreakable like Wolverine's. Mistaken Telepathy: It was believed that Romulus possessed certain telepathic abilities. The truth, as shown in is that Romulus enlisted the aid of an unknown psychic or telepath to manipulate the vast majority of Wolverine's memories. It's more likely that rather than telepathically creating or editing Wolverine's memories, that Romulus makes use of post hypnotic suggestions or the like to trigger these temporary glimpses, because as of yet he has never used this supposed telepathy in any other cited situation. | Transportation = "Romulus seems to have a thing for trains." | Weapons = | Notes = overseeing the Weapon X Program]]. * Romulus was first seen in several flashbacks concerning Wolverine's experiences, later explained by Wild Child to have been induced by Romulus himself. He was shown leading the Lupines in prehistoric and barbaric times, being an emperor in Ancient Rome, as well as being the main force behind Weapon X. | Trivia = * Like his sister Remus, Romulus shares his name with one of the twin brothers of Rome's foundation myth. In the myth they were also stated to be the sons of Aeneas, the son of Venus. * It was originally intended for Wolverine's Adamantium claws to be part of his gloves rather than part of his body. But this idea was rejected by Chris Claremont. This concept was used for Romulus' Adamantium claws.Len Wein and Chris Claremont from Back Issue #4 interview. * According to Chris Claremont, Apocalypse was originally intended to be the true mastermind behind the Weapon X Program. | Marvel = | Wikipedia = Romulus (comics) | Links = }} Category:Telepaths Category:Regeneration Category:Martial Arts Category:Lupine Form Category:Superhuman Speed Category:Weak Durability Category:Superhuman Strength Category:Romans Category:2006 Character Debuts Category:Modern-Age Characters Category:Prehistoric characters Category:Acrobats Category:Athletic Skills Category:Superhuman Agility Category:Superhuman Reflexes Category:Superhuman Senses Category:Hyperosmia Category:Claws Category:Virtual Immortals